Training
run
Meet Mac Mama
My mama ran all 9 months of her pregnancy. She tells one story that cracks me up. She was huge with mini mac, running down the sidewalk. A semi truck come up from behind and was like Toooot Tooot yeah then as they passed her looked back in shock that they’d just honked at a hugely pregnant lady.
I don’t really remember a time in life without running. As kids it wasn’t uncommon to pile into the minivan and play ‘guess how long the run was’ as they clocked it, or drop off Gatorade along the long run course.
My mom showed me that women could sweat and spit and kick some serious ass. That running is a place for guts and toughness. That competition is satisfying. Another favorite mama story is about the end of a race. A man was hell bent on not letting a woman beat him. He was grunting and killing himself to get across the line ahead of her, no other dude in sight. After they crossed the line she shoke his hand and said, “congratulations, you’re the first woman.”
She never pressured me to run, even watched as I tried to throw shot put in a one track meet. But when it turned out I was decent at the whole running thing she was there to encourage me.
In high school she was invited to coach the distance team and she did. I mean I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pushed. But I’m glad I was, it made me a tough nut accountable for my goals or… at least it gave me some solid ‘suffer stories’. Like the time I had to stay home from school because my face, neck and arms were blown up with poison ivy and she still had me do the hill workout on the schedule. If you haven’t sweat through intense poison ivy, you haven’t suffered for the sport.
When I tore my meniscus and needed a surgery to repair the damage she made me a mix tape with songs like that oh child (It’s gonna get easier) song. She knew how low I was. After a great track season and nabbing the school 2-mile record I ended up cheering for my team at the State cross country meet from crutches.
My mama still runs and is still a speedster, look for her name under the course records around Boston. I still turn to her for my track workouts and her training has lead me to some great PRs recently. She has a broken rib right now, so it’s my turn to make her a mixtape until she can be out running the road again
Contest
Tell us about your mom. How does your mama inspire you, your running? Or what do you hope to instill in your daughter(s).
We’ll pick one random mama/daughter team to win matching Oiselle tees (just like those matching jumpers in the ‘90s but WAY cooler).
Tell us about your mama on Facebook (in comments under contest), Twitter or right here in the comments.
Must enter by midnight PST, Sunday May 13.
